How to Use Physician Recruiters to Your Advantage

For practitioners in the medical industry, the issues of job security and the variety of workplace options can be relegated to lesser concerns. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Employment of physicians and surgeons is expected to grow by 13 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations." For someone in medicine, sometimes the real struggle is finding the place that best pairs one's needs with the demand for that person's skills. Enter the role of physician recruiter (translation: job salesperson). These professionals are charged with the role of playing matchmaker between job seeker and job opening and are paid according to how well they do just that. "Let the buyer beware" applies here, however this segment of the industry is not necessarily just a hive of silver-tongued fast-talking pitch men. When approached with focus and caution, there is valuable information to be gained by consulting a recruiter. 

Pinpoint the Specifics

Obstetricians-gynecologists conducting a job search should consider those listings highlighting their specific field of expertise. A physician candidate should develop their criteria for an ideal job. List the must haves and never ever deviate from them. If an obstetrician-gynecologist in L.A. is looking to relocate to Seattle, they can benefit from working with a physician recruiter running an ad for that very specific set of criteria. That recruiter is no doubt retained by the institution looking to hire, and therefore imbedded in the orchestration of a harmonious situation. If a physician is looking to relocate to an area of prominence such as New York or Austin, facilities in those areas are going to be overwhelmed with applicants. A recruiter can help the physician determine what opportunities may exist in outlying suburbs that could be an acceptable compromise. As stated on the HealthIt.gov website: "With EHRs (Electronic Health Records), information is available whenever and wherever it is needed". A digitally savvy physician will no doubt prefer working in a facility that subscribes to this approach, as it improves the quality of care received by a patient. A recruiter will know which hospitals and clinics are using EHRs and which ones are not.

Cast a Wide Net

Physician recruiters do the legwork while physicians see patients. They spend as much time throughout the day gleaning the industry for job openings as physicians spend with their patients. A physician on a job search can efficiently attain a concise picture of what opportunities are out there by conferring with a recruiter. This does not imply signing anything, it is merely a preemptive consultation to see if the idea of expanding can be met by an unfilled demand.

Lost in Translation?

An obstetrician-gynecologist and a spouse who is a graphic artist could perhaps face challenges when attempting to effectively communicate about vocation-specific details. If an opportunity in another state is presented to a physician on a job search, working with a recruiter can save the couple time and confusion when determining if the community in question is a good fit. It is part of the job of a physician recruiter, as a salesperson, to know their product and their product appeal. Their product is not only the actual job, but the surrounding community it is in and how that area can serve the needs of the physician's entire family. The recruiter's product appeal is in how it is presented to the practitioner and the spouse in equal measures. If the spouse is not sold on the idea, the deal falls through for the recruiter. An objective meeting between the physician, spouse, and recruiter can save time and energy in that the messages do not have to be translated second hand to a third party.

The information gathering efforts of a physician recruiter can be used to one's advantage when assessing career opportunities. This is especially true when physicians searching for a new job know exactly what they want.

Article Originally Published on ACOG Career Connection